Link and the Darkness Within
by Saberae
Summary: Link is now 17 once again, but in a peaceful Hyrule unlike his previous encounter with a Ganon-filled Hyrule. All is well, but the seal on the Scared Realm seems to be weakening. What happens when some of the sages go missing? Rated for violence.
1. The First Signs, and the Disaster

**Chapter 1: The First Signs, and the Disaster**

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_After defeating Ganondorf (the same King of Evil in Ocarina of Time), Link was now seventeen once again. But Remember, after his victory against Ganon, he was sent back to the original time from which he left, so he was 10 therefore it has been 7 years since that battle. If you get what I'm saying…_

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It was a bright sunny day, the breeze swept across Hyrule Field bringing warmth and comfort to those that it touched. Link stood on one of the higher hills in the field. He took in a deep breath and sighed as he stood gazing at Hyrule Castle in the distance. Today was the very day 7 years ago that he had fought against Ganondorf, and the same day that the King of Evil was sealed in the Dark Realm. Though, in Link's heart and mind something did not seem quite right.

He and Zelda had recently gone to check the seal on the Dark Realm, only to find that it was weakening, this did not comfort Link at all. Zelda called for the other sages, but only 4 of the 6 came, at the time she thought nothing of it. Saria, a Kokiri, and Impa, a Shiekah, were the two who had not come. The 5 available Sages did their best to strengthen the seal until the other 2 Sages were found.

"Hey Link" A voice shouted.

Link looked down the hill to see Princess Zelda coming up to meet him.

"Hey Zelda" He yelled back, running down to greet her.

"What are you doing standing up there all alone? You seem to be worried, is everything alright?" Zelda asked.

"Uh…there's nothing wrong." Link replied with a smile on his face. "Don't worry about it."

"Hmmm…okay then, but remember, you said you were going to go and show me Kokiri Forest" Said Zelda. "I still can't believe you haven't already shown me though, we've known each other for quite a while."

"Well I've been busy" replied Link "Saving Hyrule multiple of times over the years, as well as Termina, I guess I never really thought about it."

Link then pulled out The Ocarina of Time, which he received (for the second time) from Zelda. He played Epona's Song, calling for his faithful horse, Epona. She appeared as soon as he had finished the song, as if she were waiting for him to do so. Link then hopped easily upon Epona's back, he turned and helped Zelda up behind him. Two people were certainly no trouble for Epona to carry, for she was a valiant horse, the strongest and quickest in all of Hyrule.

Epona galloped through Hyrule Field, the breeze flowing past them as a quick and fluent as a river. As they approached Kokiri Forest, Link halted Epona, and dismounted, he turned to help Zelda off, to find that she had completed this simple task herself. "Link, why are you so…well you just don't seem to be acting normal, oh, and I can get off a horse myself you know" Zelda giggled. "This isn't like you, but…"

"Zelda, I've told you there's no problems, there is absolutely nothing wrong." Link looked at Zelda, and changed the subject. "Whelp, here we are, Kokiri Forest!" Link said. "You know, now that I've thought about it I haven't been here for a while. I don't think I've been back since I was at Termina. When I came back, I went straight to the castle to see you, and I guess it never came to mind."

"Well I'm sure nothing has changed" Replied Zelda.

Link led Zelda into Kokiri Forest, passing over the wooden bridge that connected the Forest with Hyrule Field. As they passed, Link heard the familiar squawks of the crows, and the common rustle of the leaves in the trees high above them, hearing these reminded him of the memories he had of the Lost Woods, with the Kokiri, and one of his best friends…Saria. Saria was the Sage of the Forest Temple. Link helped awaken her as a Sage during his quest 7 years ago.

"Maybe we'll see Saria here; it won't hurt to look around for her" Suggested Zelda.

"Ya, she was probably busy with something important in the Temple, and didn't hear the call before" Replied Link.

"Are you still thinking about that seal" Asked Zelda. "Is that what's bothering you? You do know that there is absolutely nothing to worry about. The power of 5 Sages is more than strong enough to hold it shut, at least for the time being" Zelda smiled.

"Ya, I guess you're right" Said Link, half to himself.

Link and Zelda walked through the entrance to Kokiri Forest. When they emerged, the sun was shining brightly, and the sky was a light blue, speckled with clouds. Link, with Zelda right behind him, approached the Kokiri that was close by.

"Hey Lilly" Link said as he approached the young girl.

"Uhhh…do I know you mister, how did you know my name" Asked Lilly.

"Uh, heh heh, never mind, you just looked like a Lilly" Link said as he walked back to where Zelda was standing.

"Why didn't she know you? You knew her," Asked Zelda.

Link rolled his eyes

"I guess I kinda forgot about this. You see, they don't know that I'm a Hylian, with the exception of Saria. I let the matter go when it happened 7 years ago, because I thought nothing much of it. I guess I kind of forgot that they wouldn't recognize me. They haven't seen me for 6 or 7 years now" Replied Link.

"Oh, I see now" said Zelda. "Maybe you should tell them."

"Maybe…but not right now, why don't I show you around first, and then go look for Saria, then I might" said Link.

Link told Zelda that the Kokiri never grow up, for she didn't know this, as well as showed her the different houses, made out of large tree stumps. He brought her to his house, which was still there, untouched…supposedly. They climbed up the ladder to the small platform in front of Link's door, and then walked in, slightly ducking down.

"Well this was my home for many years," said Link "I used to have a cow that I won from the Lon Lon Ranch, but I let it down out of the house out in the open, who knows what has happened to it now."

"This is a very nice and cozy place," Zelda stated. "It's…well kept" Link wasn't listening, he was looking at all the stuff he had left, remembering the days when he didn't even know exactly who he was. When there was no evil to fight.

"I FOUND IT" Yelled Link

Zelda leaped up in surprise

"Eeek, what…what did you find" Asked Zelda

"I found my boomerang" Link answered

"Your…boomerang?" Zelda asked, a little annoyed.

"Yep, I haven't used this for a very long time" Replied Link.

Zelda plopped herself down on the bed, and to her surprise she heard a small squeak of some sort from under the covers.

"Ohh!" Zelda said, surprised. "What is that?"

A blue light appeared underneath the covers. Link walked over to the bed, and quickly pulled off the covers.

"NAVI" He Yelled. "Navi, where've you been all these years, I haven't seen you since…I…left…for…Termina"

"You mean you left Hyrule altogether" Asked a very surprised Navi. "I was searching all over for you when I couldn't find you um….6 years ago. I hunted all over Hyrule, searching, and searching for you, but I gave up after the first month."

"Okay Navi, listen closely" Link said, looking at Navi. "I didn't tell you I was going on a new journey, because, you seemed happy the way you were, in the Forest, with all the other Guardian Fairies, that's why I left without you knowing."

"Well what is this place, this…Termina" Asked Navi.

Link told the story of his adventure to Navi, as well as Zelda, for she hadn't heard the full story before. They listened for around half an hour, when Link finished.

"Well, it's a shame, you probably could have done everything a whole lot easier if you had a Fairy with you" Navi said.

"But I did Navi" Said Link. "Tatl, she was my 'Guardian Fairy' during the journey. She was a whitish-yellowish color, and had a brother named Tael, she wasn't half bad."

"You...you…you had another Guardian Fairy," said Navi, tears swelling up in her eyes.

"It was only for a short time, and she wasn't really my 'Guardian Fairy', she was more like…someone I was helping," replied Link.

They continued this conversation for another 5 minutes, when Link finally got it through Navi's head that he wasn't tired of her, and he wasn't replacing her with a new Fairy.

The three left the house, and Link brought Zelda to the place where the Deku Sprout lived. He had grown much, much bigger than when Link had last seen him.

"Hello there Link" Said the Deku Sprout. "My have you grown…again, haha" Link, Zelda, Navi, the Deku Sprout, and the 7 Sages, were the only ones who remembered what went on in the future during Ocarina of Time.

"Hello Deku Sprout" Replied Link. "This is Zelda, if you didn't know, the Princess of Hyrule."

"Why hello your highness" Said the Deku Sprout "How nice it is to finally meet you in person"

"It's nice to meet you too, Great Deku Sprout," answered Zelda.

They had a long and educational conversation with the Deku Sprout. Link found out what had happened while he was gone. It turned out that only a few things had changed. The shop in the Forest now had a larger selection and there were some sort of new "self defense classes" using a Deku Shield and a wooden sword. Zelda found out a bunch of new stuff about Kokiri Forest, she learned about the Lost Woods, Skull Kids, and many other things known to few outsiders. Navi hovered about, listening intently to what everyone had to say, and added some of her own stories amongst the many others that were being told.

"Oh by the way, have you happen to of seen Saria recently, we're not sure where she is" Asked Link.

"Hmmm…I haven't seen her for about 2 or 3 weeks now" Answered the Deku Sprout. "Last time I saw her she was heading off towards the Lost Woods, but of course I didn't question her since she goes quite regularly."

"Well thanks for everything Great Deku Sprout" said Link.

Link, Zelda, and Navi all left the small meadow in which the Great Deku Sprout stood, and set their paths towards the Lost Woods.

"These Lost Woods, why do they seem so strange," asked Zelda.

"The Lost Woods have been feared, not by all, but to most of the Kokiri. It is said that if a Kokiri wanders in, and becomes lost somewhere in the darkness, they become a Skull Kid. It's a very strange place to navigate through, one wrong turn, and you're sent right back to where you started, it's a mesh of tangled paths to those who do not know the way" replied Link.

Link led the way to behind Mido's House. Mido was the 'Chief of the Kokiri' and had always had found some way to make fun of Link, either in his face or behind his back. They climbed the vines, and walked on the ledge up towards the entrance to the Lost Woods, to find Mido standing in their path.

"Not again" Link whispered to Zelda. "He is always standing, blocking some sort of path."

Link approached Mido, with Zelda and Navi not too far behind him.

"Mido, I need to go into the Lost Woods" Said Link.

"No way, sorry mister, but I will let no one pass this point. As Chief of the…" Mido was cut off.

"Mido let me through, it's kind of an emergency" Link said, slightly angered.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are mister, but I'm older than I look, and I'm telling you that…"

Link was now getting fairly annoyed and decided just to tell him, just to get him to quit.

"Mido, its me Link, don't you recognize me?"

"Link, Ha! Your not Link, Link was nothing but a wimp, plus he's probably dead somewhere!" laughed Mido.

Link glared fiercely at him.

"Look at me, alright. I'm wearing the same clothes, I have the same fairy, and I am still sick and tired of your attitude" Link growled.

"Ha! I don't believe you. But If you could prove yourself right, then I might let pass, and you'd have better be grateful if I do let you enter" Mido said, being snobby as usual.

Link turned to Zelda and Navi, debating on what they should do. They had decided not to do anything rash to Mido, so Zelda just cast a weak sleeping spell on him, and that was the end of it.

They entered the Lost Woods, and Link led them through the usual route past the shortcuts to both Zora Domain, and Goron City, and they approached the Forest Meadow.

The Meadow had a damp smell to it, and everything seemed strangely quiet, there was no chirping of birds, or humming of insects.

"Something doesn't feel right" Link said in a worried tone. "This isn't how the Meadow was, or at least I don't remember it this way. It seems as if there is some sort of evil hiding here."

"Well maybe Saria is at the entrance of the Temple, you know where she normally is" Said Navi. "I bet she's sitting there on that stump playing her Ocarina right now."

"I don't think so Navi" replied Link.

Link, Zelda, and Navi went through the winding paths of the Forest Meadow, heading towards the Forest Temple. As they approached, they did not hear the music of an Ocarina, nor did they hear or notice any sign that Saria might be there.

"I'll go in the Temple and hunt around" said Link, pulling out his Longshot "It'll only be an hour or so, Navi stay here with Zelda. Why don't you guys take some of my stuff, for protection."

Link pulled out a variety of items; he vaguely told them how to use them as he laid them upon on the grass.

"Here is my old boomerang which I just found, you hold it and throw it like this. This is my Bomb Bag, I think it's full. You pick 'em up and toss them, very simple. You can use my Longshot once I get up on that ledge, I know Zelda knows how to use that, I showed her earlier" Link explained, "Oh, and this, be careful with this. This is called 'Nayru's Love'. It's an Item that I got from one of the Great Fairies. When you use it makes an impenetrable barrier around you, protecting you from anything. It has a limit though, so don't think it'll last forever."

Link Longshoted the tree limb above the ledge, and turned back to toss his Longshot to Zelda, for he didn't need it anywhere else in this Temple. He left into the entrance, leaving Zelda and Navi in the Meadow.

"Well, your highness, now that he is gone and can't interrupt me, tell me about yourself, I haven't really gotten a chance to ever talk to you directly" said Navi. "What has Link been up too over the years?"

Zelda told Navi a little about her life, what it was like living in the castle, being Princess, and all that. She also told her what 'Link has been up too" as well. Navi sat, or more like hovered, next to Zelda listening intently, not realizing the approaching danger.

Link shot out the annoying creatures with ease with no more than a few arrows as he ventured about looking for his dear friend, Saria. He had already checked the 'Boss Room', and was now looking about in the other rooms.

"Where on Earth could she be?" Link questioned himself, "I've searched in every room."

Link went back to the main room and sat on the flight of stairs leading down from the entrance. He glanced about himself looking at his surroundings. In the center of the room was the group of 4 torches lit with the fire of the 4 Poe Sisters, he had defeated years ago. There were the 2 doors to his left, and the 2 doors to his right, all in which he had already checked. With a deep sigh he leaned his head on his hands and sat there thinking of what he should do.

As if from nowhere, he thought about Saria's Song, the song that Saria had taught him if in any case he needed to talk to her. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and set it to his lips. He played the familiar song remembering the notes with no trouble at all. He waited for a minute, listening for Saria's voice. Then it came, he was answered.

Zelda and Navi sat, looking around at the many flowers, and other plants flourishing in the lush meadow, with happy things in their thoughts. They heard someone, or something in the bushes across from them. Zelda stood up, looking intently at where the noise had originated.

Out of the brush popped 3 poes, 1 dodongo, and a swarm a keese. Zelda, one who has magic abilities, sent a shot of magic at the keese, stopping them in their tracks. While she was doing this the poes had surrounded her, attacking her from 3 sides, and the dodongo was coming right at her. More keese had appeared, this time there were twice as many as there were before. So overwhelmed, Zelda used 'Nayru's Love' and created a barrier around her, as she gasped for breath.

Navi, off to the side, was viewing all that was happening, and flew as fast as she could towards the Temple to search for Link.

"Saria, Saria where are you" Link asked

"I'm not really sure. I was taken prisoner, along with Impa, by someone, though I got knocked out when they attacked, so I don't know who it was. We heard the call from Zelda, though we could not come because of our situation" said Saria. "I'm so glad that you called me, where are you?"

"I'm in the Forest Temple, I was searching for you, but now I'm pretty sure your not here" replied Link.

"The Forest Temple, Link, you have to get out of there," cried Saria. "There is something wrong around there, you must leave. There is something-"

She was cut off. Link stood on the top of the stairs on which he had sat on earlier, there was no sound of Saria's voice, and the Temple was silent, until he heard a faint sound of feet approaching him from behind. Link pulled out the Master Sword, and spun around ready to lunge at what was heading towards him.

"Zelda" Link said, startled. "What are you doing in here?"

"You must come with me, quickly" said Zelda

Link was a little confused. Zelda didn't seem herself, she wasn't the same, but Link followed.

"Where are we going, where's Navi." Link asked, as they headed deep within the Temple.

They went through passages that were as dark and slime ridden as they had ever been. Once they came into a larger room, Link spoke once again.

"Hey, Zelda," he said, reaching for her shoulder to turn her around.

Zelda stopped abruptly, and turned around, glaring at Link. Her eyes turned red, as she powered up her magic. She leapt at Link, with some sort of magic flames around her hands; Link dodged her, pulled out his sword and shield, ready for anything. She spun about and shot magic rays at him in fury, Link quickly reflected them back with his Mirror Shield, and they hit her hard. Zelda fell to the ground, and was slammed up against a wall. Enraged, she jumped up, almost as if she hadn't been injured at all, and sent an enormous ball of magic flying through the air at Link. Link could not dodge it, he knew this, and his shield wouldn't be able to reflect anything that big. He thought for those few seconds he had. When the magic had almost reached him, he swung the Master Sword with all his strength, and flung it right back at Zelda. She was hurt badly, slammed once again against the wall with extreme force. She didn't move.

Link ran over to her, but as he approached, he realized it wasn't Zelda. What looked like Zelda's body was fading, disintegrating away. There was a large beast lying in place of what he thought was Zelda. It twitched as it laid there on the floor. It was black, with menacing claws from its hands, and feet. Its eyes were blood red, and it glared at Link with a great anger and hatred. As it breathed, it let out screeches that echoed throughout the entire Temple.

"So this must have been what Saria was trying to warn me about" whispered Link, "This thing is not what I would call a strong opponent, though its transforming act was pretty convincing to the eye. It must be taking orders from someone bigger, someone stronger, but who. Oh no! Zelda, and Navi, they're still out there."

Link stood up, glancing once more at the beast, and ran towards the entrance to the Temple as fast as he could.

Zelda looked frantically about from within the barrier that she had put up; there were no additional monsters, only those which had appeared at first, and the new swarm of Keese.

"This barrier won't last forever" Zelda thought to herself, "I really hope Navi finds Link."

She shot some magic rays through the barrier towards the keese, which luckily, killed them all. Next she started shooting at the poes, though they kept on doing their disappearing act on her, so It didn't do much good.

"Link, where are you" Zelda whispered

Link finally made it to the main room, where he saw Navi fluttering about, panicking.

"Navi" Link yelled, "Where's Zelda, is she all right!"

"Oh Link" Navi cried in terror, "there's a bunch of monsters, they came out of the brush in the meadow, and they attacked. Zelda is under a barrier but that won't last for much longer.

Link and Navi went up the stairs as quick as they could towards the entrance. They emerged in an unusual misty Forest Meadow, with the sound of yells and shrieks echoing through the air.

"Zelda" Link yelled "Zelda are you alright?"

Zelda looked up from her vanishing barrier in relief.

"Link, I'm here, down here" She cried.

Link leapt down from the platform, pulling out the Master Sword as he fell. He lunged at the unsuspecting poe, killing it in an instant, and turned quickly to hit another. Link pulled out his bow, and shot very accurately at the dodongo and the last poe, once all three poes were gone, he gazed about realizing that the dodongo was still alive and trudging quickly towards him. He used another 2 arrows, and the dodongo was gone with a small explosion.

"Zelda, are you alright" Link asked as he ran to where Zelda was sitting on the ground.

"Yes, I'm sure" she said, breathing heavily, "I guess I just didn't react quickly enough when those monsters came. Thanks for saving me…again."

"No problem" Link smiled, helping her up.

"Did you find Saria in the Temple, did you find any clues?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Well, I searched all around the Temple, with no sign of Saria, but I remembered the song she taught me, for the Ocarina. I played it so I could talk to her, and I did. She warned me about something, and said that she and Impa where prisoners, but then something happened, and I lost contact with her. I saw you, or what I thought was you at the time. You wanted to take me somewhere, but then you attacked me, and right then I knew it wasn't you. After I defeated the Zelda, it turned out being an evil, dark creature, and it wasn't very happy when I defeated it."

After Link explained his encounters within the Forest Temple all the way up to when he came out to the Meadow, the three decided to head back to where the Great Deku Sprout was.

They easily got back to Kokiri Forest, and ran quickly to the Deku Sprout.

"Link, Zelda, Navi, what are all of you doing back here," asked the Deku Sprout with deep concern.

"We found out that Saria and Impa are prisoners somewhere, somewhere in Hyrule I'm pretty sure, but we don't know who could have taken them" Link said, breathing heavily.

"Well, I'm not sure what to tell you. Since Ganondorf is sealed in the Dark Realm, I'm sure it can't be him, and there hasn't been anything of that power in Hyrule for the past few years. I'm truly sorry, I cannot help you" replied the Great Deku Sprout.

Link thanked the Great Deku Sprout, and left with Zelda and Navi. They headed towards Hyrule Field, hoping to find some answers to their problems somewhere else in Hyrule.

Epona was exactly where they had left her, eating the lush grass near the entrance to the woods, as they approached she neighed happily. Link held the reins as Zelda hopped up onto Epona, and then got onto her himself. They turned about and went into the open field of Hyrule.

As they galloped towards Hyrule Castle, a bright shimmering light shot out of where the Temple of Time stood within the walls of Hyrule Castle Town. It was dark out, almost 8:00, and the light was a purple color, that shown against the moon and the clouds in the night sky. This startled Link, and he pulled the reins back abruptly, bringing Epona to an immediate halt. Zelda, after recuperating from the sudden jerk, saw the light, and became deeply concerned.

"What do you think that is" Link questioned.

"I'm not sure, it seems that it is coming from the Temple of Time though" Zelda replied.

"Well let's go check it out" Link said, giving a whistle and nudging Epona in her sides with his heels.

They rode swiftly towards the town, when they saw the draw bridge was closed up for the night. Link once again slowed, and dismounted Epona, pulling out the Ocarina of Time. He played the Sun's Song, a song he learned underneath the graveyard near Kakariko Village. When the song was completed the moon disappeared and the sun arose in an instant. The draw Bridge was let down and they hurried in, leaving Epona in the field to graze.

"We should hurry to the Temple" Zelda said as she ran, gathering up her dress.

"I know, that light didn't look very comforting" Link replied.

They approached the Temple of Time, and stopped running and walked slowly feeling a great power of evil near them. Link was the first in the Temple, only to see two demolished walls, with ruble scattered about the floor, and a figure, a figure of a man standing about 20 feet in front of him. The figure could not be recognized, for the smoke from the recent falling of the walls had him shrouded. Zelda was now standing next to Link, looking around, stricken with shock at what had happened.

"Hey, you, who are you" Link called. "Did you do all this?"

There was silence

"Answer me" Link yelled, staring at the figure hoping that it wasn't who he thought it was.

The man turned, and the smoke lifted from the ruins.

"Ha ha ha ha ha" The figure started, "Who am I? HA, you know who I am!"

"No, it can't be, the seal" Link whispered to himself.

"It is I, the King of Darkness, the King of Evil, Ganondorf!" The man laughed, as

a roll of thunder was heard from the East.

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_Author's Note: _Alright, this is my first fanfic, some of you may not enjoy hearing that. I actually wrote this about a year ago, so maybe the grammer and word flow isn't quite up to par. Hope you enjoyed it, and read on to Chpater 2! 


	2. The Plans

**Chapter 2: The Plans**

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"No. It can't be. You were sealed away by the Sages!" yelled Link.

"That seal weakened. It weakened over the years, and I was hoping that those Sages of yours wouldn't deal with it. The power of those 5 had done nothing but delay the breaking of the seal for no more than a day. Now, I can resume what I started those many years ago, Mwahahahahahahahaha!" Boomed Ganondorf.

"Link," Zelda whispered, "what are we going to do?"

Link stood there, trying to think up something in the little time he had. He glanced around Ganondorf was in front of him, Zelda was to his left, and the fate of Hyrule was once again laid upon his shoulders.

"Ganondorf!" Link yelled, "I defeated you once, I can do it again. It'd be best if you just gave it up right now!"

"Ha, you fool! I've gained power, much more power than what I used to have." Ganondorf bellowed, "You won't defeat me so easily!" With that, Ganondorf leapt up into the air, and with a cloud of purple smoke, he vanished.

Link stood staring at the place Ganondorf had once been, and fell to his knees.

"Link, what's wrong?" Zelda asked.

"You know the answer Zelda. That battle with him was the most difficult task I have ever done in my life. I can't imagine how he can be any stronger than he already was." Link replied.

"If what he says is true, then you'll just need to get stronger as well, plus, I'll be here to help you as well," Zelda proclaimed, "But we must search for him, and destroy him now before he causes any serious damage."

Link and Zelda ran out of what used to be a full temple, but now was half a temple, into the Town Market. All the people scurrying about quickly stopped and stared. It was a rare occasion for them to see the princess out in the open like this and to be with an oddly dressed boy was even stranger.

Averting their eyes from the staring people, the two ran out of the Market, and stopped next to Epona. Navi stayed with Epona this whole time, which might have been for the better.

"Navi, Ganondorf is back!" Link told her.

"But that's impossible," Navi said, confused, "He was locked away in the Dark Realm."

"But he got through the barrier we Sages had erected," said Zelda.

"We need to go find Ganondorf, and fast," Link said, already mounting Epona.

"Zelda, can you call for the rest of the Sages, we need all the help we can get. I'm going to head on over to the Gerudo Fortress to see if the Gerudo's know anything. Luckily I kept this paper that has my Membership on it," He added humorously pulling out a small piece of weathered paper.

"Be careful Link, If Ganondorf is there, you can't fight him alone if what he said about his powers is true." Said Zelda, "Are you sure I shouldn't come with you and call the sages from there?"

"No, we can't draw attention to ourselves, if Ganondorf finds out that we're gathering the Sages, who knows what he'd do," replied Link.

With that, Link and Epona headed towards the Fortress, not knowing what they'd find there.

They passed the Lon Lon Ranch, and Epona galloped over a few hills when the Gerudo Valley came into view. It wasn't a plants and river type of valley; it was more of a desert valley. The air was hot and dry, the sand was basically all you could see with a few rocks scattered about.

Link hurried Epona, and they crossed over the wooden bridge, and through the valley. There were no signs of life, with the exception of a dead shriveled plant here and there, which was perfectly normal in this part of Hyrule.

Link slowed Epona to a walk as he approached the Gerudo Fortress, so as not to draw any attention. He brought her to one of the entrances, and dismounted.

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**_Author's Note:_** Alright, I know that this chapter was VERY short, but it's one of them fill-in chapters, the next chapter should be a good length. 


	3. Shackles and Cackles

**Chapter 3: Shackles and Cackles**

It was late now, around midnight almost; the crescent moon in the sky was shrouded by gathering grey clouds. There was no wind, no movement, and no life, and on top of that, the temperature was dropping drastically compared to what it was earlier that day.

Link slowly sidled his way around the outskirts of the Gerudo Fortress, being careful not to disturb any loose stones that would give his position away.

_CRACK_… it came from inside a nearby doorway. Link swung about and backed quickly into a dark shadow trying his best to conceal himself from whoever was inside. A lone Gerudo guard wandered out. She wore the attire of all the guards, typical coverage of the mouth, loose pants that ended a little ways above the ankles, made of reds and oranges. She yawned, and sat down on a nearby crate mumbling something about 'always having the night shift'.

Fortunately, Link was opposite of where she was facing, and quickly came about knocking her out quickly and silently. He crept through the doorway, ducking amongst pots and barrels as he snuck his way through the maze of hallways making up the fortress.

"Geeze, how many hallways does a place need, I need to get a map for this place…" Link sighed, "And I'm sick of running into all these stupid storage rooms!" As he had said this, he turned the corner and happened in on some sort of throne room. He quickly pulled back, hiding behind the corner as he peered into the room.

Ganondorf sat there, with his usual menacing facial expression, and about five other Gerudos answering and completing his many whims. Link was too far away to hear any conversation that might have been held, and decided to make his way into the throne room.

"Are you deaf-…"

"no sir, I-…"

"That's not helping-…fool!"

"Go-…kill-…"

"yes sir, _they_ are ready-…"

"Make sure-…and-…Zelda."

Link wasn't quite sure what he was hearing, he had only picked up a few words, but a few of them were good enough.

"Great…"he sighed, "I'm not really in the mood for dealing with _him_ again" Link mumbled, referring to Ganondorf.

"Well maybe, you won't have to," a voice said behind Link.

Link felt quite a few pricks in his side, when he turned about to see three Gerudos lined up looking down on where he was sitting.

"Oh…great…," said Link.

"Take his to the Leader," said what looked like the leader of the three. "He might want to take a look at our 'catch of the night'."

Link was dragged, struggling all the way of course, to the center of the throne room at the feet of his most despised enemy.

"_wow, this carpet is really soft_," Link though, if only for a second.

Link snatched his arms away from the guards that had previously escorted him, and dusted himself off. There were quite a few guards, well, more than that at least seventy-five littered the throne room. There wasn't going to be an easy escape.

"Hello again…my friend," smiled Ganondorf, "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"You know very well why I'm here, you just came bursting back from a realm that you were eternally sealed in, what did you think I was going to do, go take a vacation!" Link replied, with a hint of sarcasm in the second part of his sentence.

"Haha, I shouldn't have expected any less from you. Well, we know what's going to happen…lock him away" Ganondorf replied, "place him in Prison Block 312-B with all the precautions."

"Yes sir," replied several Gerudos in unison before they grabbed Link and pulled him off to his new residence in the Gerudo's dungeon.

"I'll be back here, and you know it!" called Link, "I'm not going to let you take this land and people without a fight!"

"That's what you think…" Ganondorf said to himself.

Link was thrown onto the mossy stone floor of his cell as soon as the door had been unlocked. Shackles were placed on both his wrists and ankles. All weapons were taken from him, including his sword and shield. The door was at least a foot and a half thick, made of solid stone along with all four walls. It was damp and musty, there was absolutely nothing in the cell other than the chains, Link, and the rocks of course.

"Well, this is quite a bind I'm in this time…" Link said. "No Ocarina, no weapons, no convenient windows, keys, wooden doors, iron bars, and all those other items that always happen to help you out in a time like this…"

Link could sit down, but barely, the chains holding his arms were hooked from the ceiling, and his legs from the walls on either side of him. As he sat, his arms dangled above his head, and his legs were sprawled out on the floor I front of him as he tried to get in the most comfortable of positions.

"I wonder how long they'll keep me in here. Probably until Ganondorf takes over Hyrule, or he can't find what he wants, and asks me, OR when they decide to kill me…" Link stated. "Hmm…kill me…how nice" he retorted, sarcastically of course.

It was going on a week now since Link had been locked away in his cell. He had received some water, and measly portions of food, just enough for him to get by. He was weakening drastically, and he knew it. His wrists were each one giant bruise from the metal shackles that were constantly tugging at them. He was not a happy camper.

Link dangled from the his shackles slightly wavering back and forth, as a door could be heard towards the end of his section of prison cells. Link was a bit spacey, especially after a week of nothing but the dank box he had been residing in. Keys were heard at the jingled together and unlocked the door. A Gerudo had opened the door, and pushed it open, and right behind her came Ganondorf.

Ganondorf ducked as he passed through the doorway, for he was a man of great stature. He grimaced at the look of the cell, the mold and other algaeic plants on the walls, the mustiness, the dampness…it wasn't his thing. He slowly approached Link, and lent down on one knee so that his eye level would be closer to where Link's would be.

"So, Hero? Are you still gonna defeat me?" Ganondorf asked in a slightly mocking manner. "Do you still feel up to it," He continued. Ganondorf reached over with his right hand and grabbed Link's knotted hair and yanked it upwards as Link let out a grunt of pain. Ganondorf wanted them to be looking in the eyes.

Link's eyes weren't quite as filled with fire as they usually were, they had dulled, they had a little blankness to them, but there was still a few embers alit. Link stared at Ganondorf, unable to think up something to say.

"Well if that's the way it's gonna be, Hero," Ganondorf said, letting go of Link's hair and letting his head droop back to wear he had found it. "I'll be back."

Ganondorf said something that Link, being spacey, didn't here, to the Gerudo as they walked out and closed, sealed, and locked the door behind them.


End file.
